Key in 1828, attributed to Joseph

Wood, Walters Art Museum, Baltimore.

FRANCIS SCOTT KEY’S OTHER VERSE.
“Oh! thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand
Between their loved homes and the war’s desolation!
Blest with victory and peace, may the heaven-rescued land
Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation.
Then Conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
And this be our motto, ‘In God is our trust;’…”
~ “The Star-Spangled Banner,” 4th stanza.

It easier for us to be good and well-behaved under certain circumstances than in others; and it is
usually easier to be moral when the morals in question are the inbred and or standard convention of the day.
Let’s face it, some today who do or would view with contempt and scorn Americans who held slaves back
in the 18th and early 19th century, might, had they lived back then, been unapologetic slave holders
themselves. This is not to excuse slavery, or for that matter other greater or lesser moral lapses, but to
observe merely how as often (if not more often) as not people are prompted in their conduct less by heart
felt precept than by current societal attitudes and living conditions.

And so it is we must preface our remarks on Francis Scott Key, Maryland attorney and author of
the “Star Spangled Banner;” who was not only a slave holder; but who later in life as acting U.S. District
for Washington, D.C. was employed in that office to prosecute abolitionists. In his defense, it might be
pointed out that the preponderance of the first twelve U.S. Presidents owned slaves; and that of itself made
it not unrespectable to some. Key did on a number of occasions exhibit kindness and charity to individual
slaves, and was actively involved in efforts to assist American blacks, and who agreed and wanted to do so,
to remove to and resettle in Monrovia, Liberia on the northwest coast of Africa. But, needless to say, such
remarks and measures will not condone or palliate for us now his blindness on the issue. Nonetheless, it is
impossible to imagine that had the otherwise compassionate and sensitive Key been born after the Civil
War, he still would have been pro-slavery. Such are a vicissitudes of fate and such often is the irony of
history; indeed, when all is said and done, for probably for the vast majority of us. “Let him without sin
cast the first stone.”

It was Christian and religious people who were predominant among, commenced, and spear-
headed the abolitionist movement, not soulless materialists, positivists, pagans, or agnostics. How
commonly is this understood and appreciated? Since religion has so fallen out of fashion, obviously not
altogether much. And yet it is not unusual to hear, not less among academics and the educated than among
the boorish and unlettered, to hear religion calumniated and racial equality championed. So much for
enlightened consistency and intelligent hindsight.

In spite of his fatuity on the subject of slavery, Key was himself else a good, vocal, in fact
eloquent Christian; and a prominent member of the American Bible Society from 1818 up till his passing in
1843. It is only to be regretted that his brand of faith and devotion did not endow him, and others like him,

1

Where. and that was taken prisoner at Fort Washington. (1857). he
was in some wise humming the tune as he penned his lines. Esq.
And form a bright wreath for the brows of the brave. your fair fame and your rights to secure:
Then. urged onward the bold. mixed with the olive.
~~~***~~~
SONG.
O! warm be the welcome to gladden his ear. the laurel shall wave.
as is shown by most of his poems only surviving in the hands of his friends. he was endowed with a musical ear and a
sometimes deep sense of emotion. as likely as not. 1776.
and people lost loved ones at a rate that most of us at present would find incomprehensible. But life at minimum gives us
leave to pause and reflect on Time. to the battle’s wild roar.
Columbians! a band of your brothers behold.
(1857).
Of additional biographical odds and ends we might mention before proceeding. Key’s father was
John Ross Key. What service Key Sr.
When your cause. in a manner that I think many will still find
moving.
In vain frowned the desert. in vain raged the ocean:
To a far distant shore. Key wrote a number of other songs and poems. But perhaps others now can learn from his mistake
and example. Esq. See:
2
.
Although rarely published in his lifetime. its splendor obscured
By the light of the Star Spangled flag of our nation. Time will not pause. but
which were collected after his death and put out in the volume Poems of the Late Francis Scott Key.
And form a bright wreath for the brows of the brave.
They rushed. from the battle afar.] Poems of the Late Francis Scott Key. in Nov. when your honor. If he is not a brilliant poet.Y. the laurel shall wave. to my knowledge.
1
[Edit. each toil they endured.
Where each radiant star gleamed a meteor of war. who was lieutenant in the Maryland Rifle Company. N. Like Samuel Woodworth. In pieces
dedicated to several departed friends.
thus lending them a transcendent and eternal quality that surmounts what otherwise would strike a shallow
and imperceptive reader as merely dated sentimentalism.
To the home and the country he nobly defended. Key touches on this topic.
And loud be the joy that his perils are ended:
In the full tide of song let his fame roll along. 34-36.
Who claim the reward of your hearts’ warm emotion. Key was undeniably an amateur verse writer. known. The early 19th century was a time when the ordinary mortality was high. True.
’Till their foes fled dismayed from the war’s desolation:
And pale beamed the Crescent. he
is at times at least an effective one. and
convincingly conveys his own love of and sadness at their loss. Indeed. mixed with the olive.
In the conflict resistless.1
WHEN the warrior returns. The overall portrait of his time that comes out in these poems is also quite sobering in retrospect.
To the feast-flowing board let us gratefully throng.” This was written in 1805 in tribute to the veterans of the first War with Tripoli
and the Barbary States (1801-1805). Also sung to the tune “Anacreon in Heaven. pp.
And the turbaned heads bowed to its terrible glare.with more wisdom when it came to the slavery question. in which Otho Williams also was an
officer.” and was penned with John Stafford Smith’s melody “To Anacreon in
Heaven” (or “Anacreonic Ode”) very much in Key’s mind when he wrote it. But he made no pretensions to be anything else. “The Star Spangled Banner” was initially titled
“The Defence of Fort McHenry. including appeals to religion. did
during the war after that is not.

mixed with the olive.
And loud be the joy that his perils are ended. then many a rapturous hour
Awaits us. when Spring’s soft power
First bursts the bud of every blushing flower. mixed with the olive. thy witching smile.
There. Now.
For Fortune’s fickle smiles let others pine. be mine.
How they fought. thy smile. mixed with the olive. steals unperceived away. the laurel shall wave.
And form a bright wreath for the brows of the brave. though poor.
And formed a bright wreath for the brows of the brave. the laurel shall wave.
Let others toil.
And stained the blue waters with infidel blood. a wreath shall join. with ceaseless care.
To the feast-flowing board let us gratefully throng. how they fell. each night passed sleepless by their fears. will thy swain with fondest zeal prepare
A flowery garland for thy tangled hair.
With Autumn’s ripened fruit when every tree
And shrub hangs loaded.
How triumphant they rode o’er the wondering flood. with playful hand.
That wealth has for its joys a thousand cares.
Our fathers.
Shall exultingly hear of their sons the proud story:
How their young bosoms glow’d with the patriot flame. we’ll careless lay. Delia. whose tender rind didst first impart
To Delia the soft secret of my heart –
Carved on whose trunk the faithful vows appear
Which Delia heard not with disdainful ear.
How.
And think how transient is a lover’s day.
~~~***~~~
TO DELIA
Let others heap on heaps their useless ore.
And show thee all the beauties of the scene. by the riv’let’s side.
Cheered by that smile. the laurel did wave. each easy idle day.
Content.
And thou.
Or when the sultry suns of Summer pour
A warmer ray.
Where.
There. then for thee
Up to each tall tree’s topmost bough I’ll spring.
And form a bright wreath for the brows of the brave. in the blaze of their glory.
And own. who stand on the summit of fame.
And view with sparkling eyes th’ increasing store.
In the full tide of song let his fame roll along.
Then welcome the warrior returned from afar
To the home and the country he nobly defended:
Let the thanks due to valor now gladden his ear.
With thy fond arm in mine. where the beech-tree’s arching shade
Has formed a secret bower for lovers made:
That beech.
And round thy poet’s brow thy gift entwine.
Delia. to gain
The rich productions of the boundless plain.
3
.
Then let me guide thy light steps o’er the green.

From sad remembrance how it once could please. when.
And thou would’st live again! again dream o’er
The wild and feverish visions of thy youth
Again to wake in sorrow. and whose freed spirit springs
To joys that bloom beyond the reach of death. ye once delightful scenes! farewell!
No more your charms can soothe my aching heart.
And thou shalt live a life of joy and peace.
Oft in the glistening dews that gemmed yon mead. can tell
How much I grieve.
To seek from tyrant eyes some lone retreat.
For once these glassy streams.
When some wild gambol lured my jocund tread. 87-88.
And not a threatening cloud appeared in view.
4
. these flowing tears. 83-84. whom a cheering faith
Warms and sustains.
But now each long-known spot augments my pains.
Shall die a death of triumph. and thy strain
Be changed to notes of rapture ne’er to cease. And the full basket to our cottage bring. sweet scenes! from you to part. on swift pinions borne.
So sings not he who soars on other wings
Than fancy lends him.
So sings the world’s fond slave! so flies the dream
Of life’s gay morn. truant feet.
Farewell.
But soon. so sinks the meteor ray
Of fancy into darkness.
The little sorrows of my soul could ease. pp.2
~~~***~~~
ON READING FAWCETT’S LINES
ON REVISITING SCENES OF EARLY LIFE.
Here sported I.
Blithesome I’ve bathed my tiny. and deplore
Thy wanderings from the peaceful paths of truth!
Yet yield not to despair! be born again. ah soon! Misfortune’s blackest gloom
2
Ibid. these smiling plains.
These long-drawn sighs. 3
~~~***~~~
STANZAS. pp.
The airy minutes of my childhood flew.
3
Ibid. and no beam
Of purer light shines on the wanderer’s way.
And here arose my youth’s effulgent morn.

this cold.
Too deep I feel it in each throbbing vein. Delia! by those soft and tender sighs
Which pity drew from that soft breast of thine.
Where’er I rove.
Kindred and friends must mourn.
I’ll doat upon the agonies of love. alas! I bear a bleeding heart.
A vivid rose-bud opening to the view
Then did she shine.
On her the potent queen of love bestowed
Her own sweet smile. her own soul-stealing grace.
Her warm heart with its soft emotion glowed.
Far hence. and embraced my chains. the good.
By that fair hand which wiped my streaming eyes.
Why must the grave hide one whose light would shine
To bless the world? Why friends and kindred mourn?
And. 4
~~~***~~~
ISABELLA W. with thy remembrance blest.
WHO DEPARTED THIS LIFE IN 1825. pp.
With the rash hand of eager youth I flew.
And shone in every feature of her face. a mother’s grief?
The grave must hide the young. regardless of the thorn.why must it vainly strive
To tell a mother’s love. STEELE.
For nature cursed me not with soul so cool
That time or absence can its griefs remove.incautious fool to bless the day --
I saw my Delia bounding o’er the plains:
I saw. no absence. stone -.
Here first -.
No -.
To prove the grave to be the gate of life
Through which they pass to joys that bloom not here.
And by those eyes which mixed their tears with mine --
By these I swear thy image from my breast
No time.
Snatched at the flower. 116-119. in life’s and beauty’s morn.
But ah! too late I felt the bitter smart.
Nor left one ray of comfort to illume
The horrors of the melancholy waste. the fair. that they may long
4
Ibid.
5
.reason’s cold and unimpassioned rule
Sways not a bosom fired with luckless love.
No. The radiance of the opening dawn o’ercast. and gave my soul a willing prey
To Love’s soft bondage.
Nor hope to find a solace for my pain. ever shall remove.

They rose on the mountain wave.
6
.
If prayer and praise can rise on wings
Of gratitude and love. their perils past.
The joyous seamen come
Where the Bethel flag its welcome waves --
The flag of their distant home.
O! let them come. sea.
And here our homage pay. and this holy flag
Shall float in sainted air.
They’ve seen thy works upon the sea. may call its hopes from earth
To fix them with a sainted child in heaven.
The ship at rest.
And glowing hearts and ready tongues
Their great Protector praise.
Here in this house high hymns of joy
Thy rescued sons shall raise. 127-128. pp.
Its Bethel flag floats in the breeze. To meet again.
And the angry rush of the winds was hushed
In the grasp of thy mighty hand.
When graves give up their dead. and the raging sea
Sunk down at thy command.
They called on thee. reap blessings from their tears.
That yawned as an open grave. [in Maryland]
To thee.
A mother’s heart must bleed that He who wounds
Only to heal.
This humble house of prayer we raise.
And the weary mariner’s heart is cheered. 5
~~~***~~~
WRITTEN FOR THE BETHEL CHURCH AT HABRE. O! then may all
Weep o’er this.
Thy wonders in the deep.
When thou didst loose the stormy winds
O’er the raging waves to sweep. O God! whose awful voice
Earth.
They sunk to the ocean’s lowest depths.
They hung on the brink of the dread abyss.
5
Ibid.
O God! if the heart’s warm thanks to thee
A grateful offering prove. and air obey. where they shall part no more.
Its stars on the ocean shine.
As he hails the holy sign.

And sent to suit thy need.
And they shall bear the gospel’s light
Wherever a wave shall flow.his sacrifice. 6
March. to give it all
To works of faith and love.thus reconciled. to overcome
Its pleasures and its cares.
And things to come are yours.
The Father looks upon the child
6
Ibid.” it saith. all things
That are in earth and heaven.
The world is yours. As high they raise the hymn of praise.
And work for good to thee.
And Christ is yours -.
And its distant isles’ lone shores resound
With the Redeemer’s name.
Behold the grant the King of kings
Hath to his subjects given:
“All things are yours.
To keep thee safe.
The saints are yours. and all
Shall ever ordered be. to guide you home.
And bless you with their prayers.
Thus God is yours -. O God! the boundless sea
Thy glory shall proclaim.
Is from his treasures culled with care. 21.
And death is yours.
His love your bliss secures.
And the heart’s ascending prayer.
And life is yours.”
1 Corinthians iii.
His righteousness the only price
That thou canst pay for heaven.
To speak your sins forgiven.
All present things are yours: whate’er
God’s providence decreed.
7
. 1841. whate’er befall. a welcome call
To higher joys above.
And the breath of heaven shall fill their sails
Wherever a breeze shall blow. pp. 146-148.
And thus.
~~~***~~~
“ALL THINGS ARE YOURS.

And hears a child’s repentant prayer.
A brother’s tenderness to show.
Art thou my Father? teach my heart
Compassion for another’s woe. at death’s alarms:
He comes a messenger of love.
And answer to a lather’s name?
Saviour divine! cleanser of guilt. And saith.
Thy light shall shine upon my path. afflicts to bless.
Art thou my Father? then no more
Tremble.
Which wounds to heal. pp. my soul. 165-166. names to join.
Prone to forget thee.
Art thou my Father? let me strive
With all my powers to do thy will.
To bear me to a Father’s arms. or griefs oppress.” 7
~~~***~~~
“OUR FATHER WHO ART IN HEAVEN.
My God! my Father! I am vile. or want. to each child of thine.
And all thy kind commands fulfil. all debased.
A lather pities and forgives.
To make thy service all my care. soothing.
They come but from a father’s hand.
And make my darkness like thy day.
8
.
And ever.
Redeemer of a ruined race!
These are thy cheering words.
My God! my Father! may I dare --
I. with sin defiled --
These awful. does he own a father’s love.
Art thou my Father? then I know
When pain.”
Father in heaven! does God who made
And rules this universal frame --
Say.
Art thou my Father? then in doubt
And darkness when I grope my way.
Am I thy creature and thy child?
Art thou my Father? then no more
My sins shall tempt me to despair. “All things are yours. weak. and this
The kind assurance of thy grace. and blind:
7
Ibid.

it is sealed with blood.
Thy days all pass in peace.
“Even upon such as keep his covenant
and think upon his commandments to do them.com
http://www.scribd. pp.
Such are thy days -.com and http://www. my strength.
Seattle.so shall they pass away --
As flowers that bloom at morn. and end in joy.
“The Lord hath prepared his seat in heaven.
and the place thereof shall know it no more.a forgiving God:
These all are thine. my trust.
“The days of man are but as grass.” -.
July 20th.facebook.
9
.
and his kingdom ruleth over all.
for he flourisheth as a flower of the field.
9
Ibid.
But then. pp.com/wsherman_1
For Lee’s Legion on Face Book:
https://www.
There is a covenant -.
Hope of my heart! light of my mind!8
~~~***~~~
MAN.
“For as soon as the wind goeth over it.gunjones. 1842. at eve decay.
“But the merciful goodness of the Lord endureth
forever and ever upon them that fear him.given
To those whose days on earth have fitted them for heaven.
and his righteousness upon children’s children.
A risen Saviour -.Psalm ciii. may these thy thoughts employ. there comes a life that knows no end --
Rich in unfading joys that far transcend
Thy highest thoughts or warmest wishes -.9
William Thomas Sherman
1604 NW 70th St. Washington 98117
206-784-1132
wts@gunjones.com/groups/LeesLegion/
8
Ibid. 177-179. Be thou my help. it is gone. 181-182.